What Happened
by Guera Mexicana
Summary: Scully and Mulder start their relationship, but something tragic happens.  Will they be able to get past it and be happy again?
1. Chapter 1

Title: What Happened

Rating: PG13 for violence

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters! I write for pure entertainment.

Summary: Scully and Mulder start their relationship, but something tragic happens. Will they be able to get past it and be happy again?

A/N: I have taken some events from different episodes and twisted them to work in my story. Some of them you may like. Also, if you do not wish to see Scully in a violent attack, I suggest you back out now. Chapter one is safe to read, though.

"Hey, Scully, would you like to come over for dinner tonight?" Mulder had been trying to gather enough courage throughout the day to ask her that question. "Nothing fancy, I just thought we could kick back and try to get our minds off of work."

"That actually sounds like a good idea," she replied. "What time did you have in mind?"

"How about 6?"

She picked up her briefcase, packed her notes and said, "Ok, I'll see you then." It was only noon, but Skinner had given them a half day off because of the Labor Day weekend. As she walked out the office door Mulder thought about what he should do to get himself, his apartment, and dinner ready for later. He needed to go to the grocery store.

On his way there he had made a mental list of the things he needed in order to clean his place, a few things to help it look homier, and something to eat. He parked his car and went through the sliding doors into the brightly lit store. Upon grabbing a cart he saw a stand with bunches of flowers. He thought for a moment and decided it would be nice to have them there, even if he didn't actually give them to her. He decided on a bouquet of blue daisies. Those were pretty, but simple without making it look romantic. He went down every aisle being sure he didn't miss anything. Mulder wasn't much of a cook, but he could at least fake it. Fortunately for him grocery stores could make food for you! He picked up some fresh fruit, a bag of salad he thought Scully would like, and a bottle of dressing that was suggested on the salad bag. He went to the bakery to get some freshly baked bread and by the deli section to pick up a rotisserie chicken with some sides. After he was confident he had everything he needed he went through the check out and went home.

Mulder spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning his apartment. It smelled faintly of chemicals from the cleaning supplies, but hoped the flowers would help mask it by the time she got there. He managed to take a shower to freshen up and felt proud of himself for the work he'd done. Scully had a good reputation for being on time, so Mulder finished up in the kitchen just in time for her soft knock on the door.

"Welcome," he said, as he opened the door and slowly waved his arm to invite her in.

As he took her coat he noticed the expression on her face. It made him smile because he knew it was a good one. "Mulder, it looks good in here! What did you do? Hire a cleaning service?" She turned to face him after giving his living room a once over.

He gave her a pretend look that said she'd hurt his feelings, and then said, "Nice way to hurt my dignity, Scully."

She smiled knowing it was all in fun. Still, she was very surprised that he had gone through this much trouble. "I thought you said nothing fancy!"

He gave a shrug, trying to be modest, "Come sit down. Everything is ready. What would you like to drink?"

"Do you have any lemonade?" She was doubtful that he did, but decided to test him.

"I do, actually. I thought it would be perfect with our dinner!" He was surprised she requested it. "Great minds think alike, huh?"

He poured them both a glass and sat at the chair across from her.

"Is this homemade?" she asked after taking a drink. "It's very good!

"Thank you! I guess there's one good thing my mom taught me. We used to have it on really hot summer days."

It was then that she noticed the flowers in a small pitcher on his table. "What's this?" she asked.

"They called to me at the store. I thought they looked nice." Truth is he thought they matched the color of her eyes. He could stare into them all day.

She gave a small smile in agreement and said, "So, what's for dinner? I'm pretty hungry!" Scully took another drink hoping the food was just as good.

Mulder lifted the lids of the dishes revealing a beautifully roasted chicken with mashed potatoes, baked beans, pasta salad, and garden salad. "I thought it would be appropriate to have a somewhat traditional meal for a holiday weekend. Dig in, Scully. I'm hungry, too!"

They served themselves the food and had little conversation due to the buffet before them. It had been a while since they'd been able to have a decent dinner with each other. Neither of them could even remember the last time they did. They cleared the table, put away the leftovers and settled down on the couch. "We don't talk much, do we?" he asked.

"You mean, talk, talk? No, I guess we don't, Mulder. I think that's because we're always so busy working. It's nice that we've given ourselves a chance to forget about that stuff for a while."

"Yeah, we should do this more. It feels good to let go for a little bit."

Thirty minutes later Scully was telling Mulder about her prom night and how she and her friends had to be questioned by the police about the fire.

"I can't believe I'm telling you this!" she said as she smiled, blushing a little.

"I can't believe you never have."

"Now, I'm seeing a whole new side of you, Mulder."

"Is that a good thing?"

She nodded her head slightly, avoiding his gaze. Then, looking to him said, "I like it."

There was a slight pause and Mulder saw his opportunity to do what he'd plan to do all day. "Do you ever wish things were different?"

"Do you?" she asked, wondering where he was going with this.

Mulder swallowed and inched closer to Scully. She suddenly realized what he was going to do and became nervous at what her response should be. He was sitting as close as he could, reached a hand up to push her hair away from her face, looked into her stunning blue eyes, and said, "Scully, there's something I've been trying to tell you for a long time now." He licked his lips, giving himself encouragement and continued, "I…I'm in love with you."


	2. Chapter 2

Huntington, VA

"Jim, you ready yet?" called a man wearing black from head to toe. He was smaller than average height and very thin with hair so blond it was almost white. There were containers of take out scattered around the room, cans of long forgotten beers, and dirty clothes covering tables, chairs and the floor. One lamp was on in the corner giving off some light.

"Yeah, be there in a second!" Jim called back. A moment later a shorter, plump man that had dark hair came through a door wearing similar clothes and joined his companion. "Where are we going tonight, Steve?"

"It's a place in Alexandria. I went there sometimes as a kid. There was a park where I used to play basketball sometimes. You sure you got everything? Do you remember everything I told you?" Steve asked as he grabbed his small bag and flung it over his shoulder.

"Yeah, I remember." With that the two set off. Steve drove an old grey sedan that was in desperate need of repair. They drove in silence through the dark streets across the freeway and into a quiet neighborhood Jim had never been to.

"I came through here the other day and remembered this place. The buildings are in good shape, but still lack security gadgets," Steve said as they parked in front of a brick building. They looked up to the windows noting which ones still had lights on. "There, that one!" He finally said. "The fourth floor, fourth window over. I bet it's the second apartment."

"But, I can see a light" Jim said with a concerned look in his eye.

"Looks light a night light, or something. It's not bright enough to be a lamp or anything. It might help us to see a little without using flashlights. Come on, let's get our stuff on." They put on black gloves and black hoods that covered everything but their eyes. After looking down the street to be sure no one would see them they got out and went inside. They used the stairs to go to the fourth floor and by the time they got to the top Jim was out of breath. Irritated that he had to wait, Steve gave Jim an angry look. "Are you ready now?"

"Yeah," he panted. They opened the stairwell door to the hall way and walked down to the second apartment on the left. Steve noticed the number was barely hanging there and figured whoever lived here must not care too much to have taken any security precautions. Lucky him, he thought. He reached into his bag and pulled out a small tool set. Picking out the things he needed, he proceeded to pick the lock. Once he had the lock on the door knob finished he looked to his partner indicating that if they were to hear noises from inside they were to run! Jim nodded, understanding the silent command. Steve then moved his attention to the dead bolt. After a moment he was finished and briefly listened for any noises from the other side of the door.


	3. Chapter 3

"I…I'm in love with you."

Scully parted her lips slightly, shocked at the declaration from her partner. Before she could respond he leaned in closer and pressed his lips to her's. He stayed there, hoping she would return the gesture and as if she could read his mind she slid her hand up his arm, around the back of his neck and pulled him in closer. They slowly released from this long, first kiss and gave each other two smaller ones before pulling apart completely. Silently they examined one another. Mulder saw her flushed face and engorged lips and instantly wanted more. Scully looked into his eyes and ran her hand through his hair.

Smiling, she said, "I never thought we'd do that."

"I know how you feel," he softly said. "I meant what I said, Scully. I love you. I couldn't take another moment of this anguish I've felt trying to hide it." He waited for her to soak in his confession.

Scully took some time to gather her thoughts and said, "Mulder, I've been afraid to acknowledge to myself how I feel about you. Afraid mostly for our partnership because I didn't like the idea of having to be without you. If they separated us because of an office relationship rule..."she trailed off. "But now, I'm certain that breaking us up would only hinder their success rate. The success you and I have brought to the FBI. We're good agents, and we bring in more arrests than a whole department does. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I want to be with you. I love you, too, Mulder."

They kissed again keeping it light so as not to rush. Their hands stayed in safe locations because neither of them wanted to take a huge plunge after their recent announcements. Realizing he needed to take a break from the activities Mulder broke their embrace and said, "Scully, I really like what we're doing, but we need to stop!"

Understanding his predicament, because it was her's too, she nodded and asked, "So, what now?"

"Movie?"

"Ok, but I get to pick. I know it's a limited selection, but at least I get to claim the power!" She smiled and moved over to his cabinet full of movies. He actually had them organized in genres. There was a whole two of them. On the bottom row were movies that he was clearly keeping for a friend of his and the top row contained oldies. She scammed through them and came across _Thunderball_. A James Bond movie seemed ok. At least she could see a sexy Sean Connery and Mulder could have all the action. When she turned around after turning the movie on she saw Mulder laid out on the couch. "Where do I get to sit?"

He patted the empty space that was left in front of him, "Come lay down with me."

She tried to guess his intentions, eyeing him cautiously. "Alright," she said, "but keep it clean!"

"I'll try," he teased.

She positioned herself with her back to his chest, resting her head on his bicep. He parted her legs with one of his and they shifted a bit before getting fully comfortable. "This feels really good," she reluctantly admitted. If it got any better they'd be in trouble, she thought.

"Mmm, I know what you mean," he whispered into her ear. "I could get very used to this!"

Thirty minutes later they were both sound asleep. Mulder had anticipated this and put a sleep timer on his tv. After it went off they laid there in the light of the fish tank.


	4. Chapter 4

Steve quietly opened the door and saw the source of the light they saw earlier. A stupid fish tank, he thought. Oh well, we'll be able to use the light. He slipped through the door to allow Jim in. They had practiced being stealthy and knew to close the door quickly so the hall light wouldn't spill into the room too much. It was then that Jim noticed the pair on the couch. He nudged his buddy and motioned towards them. Steve panicked somewhat, but adrenaline took over and he signaled for Jim to ignore them and go about their business. Steve moved around the room looking for valuables and came across a gun on a small table beside a tv. Next to it was a wallet and a set of keys. He opened the wallet looking for cash or credit cards, ignoring the various ID cards. Picking up the gun he examined it. He recognized the model and felt certain he knew how to use it. If those two woke up they'd be in for a surprise, he thought. Steve had done plenty of raiding, but had never done it while someone was home. He felt the new rush take over and decided he liked it.

Jim had gone into the other room discovering it was void of the usual bedroom furniture. A closet door was open revealing what he thought were too many suits for one man to own along with numerous white dress shirts. He also noticed there weren't any female things here thus concluding the woman on the couch didn't live here. But, mostly he saw there wasn't anything worth taking. Normally they would ransack the place searching through drawers for hidden things. He knew that wouldn't be just pointless, but also stupid because of the people on the couch. He walked back into the room with Steve and made a gesture that there was nothing there. He saw the gun in Steve's hand and wondered where it came from. Steve then saw a purse on an end table and waved for Jim to go through it. He pulled out various items like lipstick, a note pad, and a cell phone. Then he pulled out a wallet found about $30 and a couple credit cards, also ignoring the ID contained inside. Under the purse was a coat. He picked it up intending only to move it, but felt it was pretty heavy. He rummaged through the pockets and found a gun! Who are these people, he thought? He continued to look through the pocket and felt a small leather booklet. Upon opening it his eyes widened suddenly nervous at his newfound object. Quickly he moved over to Steve and showed him what he'd found.

"FBI?" he mouthed.

Mulder had been sleeping peacefully, but he strangely felt like something was wrong. He thought maybe he'd had a bad dream, but keeping his eyes closed he squeezed the warm body snuggled up next to him. Bliss, he briefly thought. The other pair in the room noticed the squirming on the couch and panic set in. Mulder recognized the familiar sound of a gun being cocked. He didn't want to alarm Scully, so Mulder opened his eyes and saw a frightening sight!

"You move one inch or make any sound I'll shoot you both!" Steve stood in front of them with the gun just inches from Scully's face. He wasn't really sure what to do next, so Steve made his decisions one at a time.

Upon hearing an unknown voice Scully started waking up. When she opened her eyes she felt Mulder's hand move over her mouth. The strange man in front of her seemed happy with that and backed away a couple steps. Scully and Mulder then saw the other man in the room pointing a gun at them. Immediately they knew there would be no point in trying to overcome their assailants.

"Ok, listen real carefully!" The skinny one quickly looked to the fat one and said, "turn on the light." The fat one complied, turning on the lamp that sat on the same table where Scully's purse had been dumped out. The level of fear quickly rose as Scully and Mulder recognized their own weapons were now in the hands of the men they were facing.

"Now, you two sit up real slow," the skinny one said to them. Never taking their eyes off their invader, slowly, Scully and Mulder made their way into a sitting position. Mulder kept his arm tightly around Scully and she leaned into him for comfort. "Go find something we can use to tie them up!" he said to the fat one. That man disappeared into the other room and shortly returned with a handful of Mulder's ties. "Do you think you can handle that?" The fat one nodded. "Good. You," looking at Mulder, "if you do or say anything I'll blow her brains out. You understand?"

Mulder felt certain the skinny one would waste no time doing what he'd threatened to do. He simply nodded.

"You!" He looked at Scully pointing the gun at her, "Get off the couch and kneel here on the floor." He pointed to a spot in front of them and Scully slowly slid off the couch. "Now, tie her up, and gag her, too." He kept the gun pointing at Scully, but returned his stare to Mulder.

Jim began tying a knot around the petite woman's hands that he had pulled behind her back. Next he wrapped a tie around her head forcing it in her mouth and tied it in the back. "You want me to do the feet, too?"

"Why not?" Steve replied. "We wouldn't want them to do anything really stupid."

Jim finished tying her feet and Steve said, "Your turn," he said to Mulder. "You just remember what I told you before." He still had the gun on Scully and his eyes on Mulder.

Mulder knew this was a smart man. The skinny guy knew Mulder's weakness and used it against him. He knelt down next to his partner, whom he'd just shared his heart with hours ago, and tried to give her a reassuring look. It made his newly revived heart break to see her in this state. She looked scared, too. Mulder's thoughts were jostled as the fat one tied his arms behind his back, gagged him, and tied his feet.

Scully watched as the man she loved was being bound and gagged before her eyes. She saw him try to comfort her with his eyes. _I love you, _she tried to express through her eyes.

Mulder knew what she was trying to say. He was thankful they had actually said it to each other earlier that night. He was truly unsure of their future at this point. _I love you, too!_ He looked into her eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

WARNING: This is the part with the attack. I suppose there's no real violence, but if you don't want to see Scully hurt, this is the time to back out.

"Oh, isn't this sweet! They're gazing into each other's eyes so lovingly! It's too bad we had to tie up such a cute little couple," Steve said sarcastically.

"I don't know about these two," Jim said, "this guy doesn't even own a bed!"

"You're kidding?"

"No, see for yourself!"

Steve told Jim to watch their captives as he walked into the other room. The three of them heard him laugh and say, "what a loser!" Walking back into the living room he looked at Mulder, "how do you expect to entertain this lovely lady here, with no bed?"

Mulder grew angry at the suggestive implication. _How dare he speak like that about her?_

Steve noticed the look in Mulder's eyes and his own rush grew within him. He decided he was going to have a good time tonight! "You go look around again and see if there's anything else worth taking. This time you can be more thorough," he said to his comrade.

Again, Jim went into the other room and the other three could hear him going through Mulder's things. There wasn't much in there other than boxes he was storing and his clothes. Steve continued look around the living room. "You don't have anything good here, do you? What kind of weirdo are you?" He looked at some of the books he had, his movie collection, and looked through his desk drawers.

"Still nothing worth much in there," Jim said, coming back into the living room. "I did find a couple of decent watches, though. I kinda like this one!"

Scully saw it was the same one she'd given to Mulder on his last birthday. _Bastard!_ Mulder saw the fire in her eyes and shot her a cautionary look.

Steve's focus was brought back to them. "That's ok, I was beginning to have other plans for tonight. Besides, we've got a couple of new guns now. You keep that gun handy, got it?" He walked over to where Scully was and looked at her. He drew a hand up and lightly stroked her hair. She cringed at his touch. This was nothing like what Mulder had done earlier in the evening. The harsh differences were evident to her. "I bet you two haven't even done the nasty together! Judging by the lack of bed and the way we found you, I'd say I'm right!"

Again Mulder's rage was bursting through his eyes and he started to lunge forward, but the fat man had his gun at the ready.

"Tisk, tisk," said Steve. "I wouldn't try being a hero. It would only get the both of you killed."

Mulder looked back to Scully. _I'm sorry!_

_Don't worry, I'm fine!_

"I wonder what the story is on the two of you. I mean, you haven't showed her a good time yet, however; you look at each other like you can read each other's thoughts. What's up with that? I think you're even weirder than I imagined." Steve looked over to his partner in crime ensuring he had his back. "I guess it will have to be my job to do what you couldn't do." With that he grasped Scully's arm forcing her to stand. It was difficult with her legs tied together, but Steve was strong enough to control her. He moved her a few feet over pushed her to her knees again and bent her over the coffee table.

Terror struck her face when she realized what was about to happen. Mulder felt the same thing and began to howl through his gag. The fat man quickly moved to him, pressed the gun to Mulder's face and told him to shut up!

Steve reached around to the front of Scully's pants and began to undo the buttons and zipper.

Mulder turned his face. He couldn't bear to watch the love of his life go through this torture!

"No!" shouted Steve. "I want him to watch! Looks like he needs a lesson on what to do."

Jim grasped his hands through Mulder's hair forcing his head up in the direction of her. Steve grabbed Scully's hair as well, forcing her to look at Mulder. His face was drenched with tears and he saw Scully's face was the same.

_I'm so sorry, Scully! Just keep looking at me! I'm right here. I'm not leaving you._

_Mulder, please!_

Their eyes pleaded with each other. They continued to focus on one another, neither of them seeing the skinny man drop his own pants and pull Scully's to her knees.


	6. Chapter 6

The two men left in a hurry taking the things they had gathered before. Mulder inched his way to Scully who began crying heavily. He managed to reach her feet and untie the bindings. She had slumped onto the floor next to the coffee table and he worked at the ones around her hands. After a few tries her hands were loosened, but she didn't move. She was still crying as Mulder struggled to remove the tie around her head. At this point he wasn't sure what to do next. He felt it would be selfish of him to ask her to free him. He needed to get to a phone and call for help, but she needed him, too. With great effort Mulder released the tie around his face by using his shoulder and trying to push it out with his tongue.

"Scully…Scully, I'm going to call for help. Just hang on, ok!" He maneuvered like a worm across the room to where his telephone was. He pulled on the cord with his teeth and it fell with a thud next to his head. He used his nose to dial 911 and waited for an answer.

"911, what's your emergency?" a voice came.

"This is…this is Special Agent Fox Mulder; my badge number is 047101111, I need the police to come. My partner and I have been assaulted."

"Ok, sir, help will be there, soon. Are you safe, now? Where are your attackers?"

"Gone, they ran off."

"Are you hurt, do you have any injuries?"

Mulder thought about the answer to that question. _My best friend has been raped, _he thought. "Yes, send an ambulance."

"Right away, sir. Stay on the line, while the police come."

Five minutes later Mulder could hear the sirens outside his building; a minute later they were rushing through the door. A female officer quickly went to Scully, trying to calm her. Someone else came to Mulder and freed him. Mulder instantly went to Scully.

"Scully, I'm here." She still didn't move.

"She's probably in shock," the woman said. "Let's get her together and put her on the stretcher." She covered Scully's exposed area and helped the EMTs lift her to the mechanism. They went down the hallway and Mulder followed not even bothering about shoes or the fact that his apartment was swarming with cops. He held her hand throughout the whole ride to the hospital. Scully kept her face away from Mulder, but he knew she was still crying. He felt he could do nothing to comfort her right now.

"You are going to have to stay here, sir." A woman in pink scrubs pushed Mulder back from the doors his partner was just been rushed through. "She will be ok. We'll take good care of her."

Mulder paced around the halls and the waiting room eventually sitting down in a chair. The events of the evening finally caught up with him and he started sobbing. After some time he calmed down and heard a soft coughing sound. Looking up, he saw his boss sitting a few chairs over.

"Are you ok?" he asked quietly.

_What do you think?_ He wanted to shout at him, but couldn't gather enough energy. "I…I couldn't stop them!" The words came out slow and quiet.

"I know. We're going to do everything we can to catch them and make them pay for what they've done. But we can't do anything about it without help from you and…Scully." Skinner had come to enjoy working with these two agents. They caused more mischief than the rest of the FBI put together, but they also were the most successful at their jobs. This wasn't the reason he admired them so much. It was because of their loyalty to each other. He couldn't remember any other agents working together so well. Besides, he'd come to love them both in somewhat of a fatherly way. "I need you to tell me what happened."

Mulder did his best to describe the things that happened. For the first time in his life his memory was failing him. He contributed it to post traumatic stress. The woman he loved was viciously raped before his eyes.

"Is that all? Anything else you remember, Mulder?" Skinner had been listening intently, jotting down notes of possible importance.

"Blond. One of them had blond hair. The skinny man. I could see it coming out through the top of his hood. It was almost white. That's all. I can't remember anything else."

"It's ok, Mulder. We are going to find them!"

They were interrupted by the same woman who pushed Mulder away after they brought Scully in. "Sir, we're finished with your partner. I have to tell you some things, before you go see her." She turned to the man next to Mulder.

"This is our boss. He can stay." Mulder said to the woman. He read her nametag, Martha. She didn't look like a Martha.

"Dana has sustained some minor injuries due to the rape. Basically, the stress of it caused her body to tense up. It will feel as though she has bruises all over her body. She's very fragile right now especially in the emotional sense. She'll need someone to monitor her for a few days. Also, she hasn't said a word to any of us. We understand the trauma she's undertaken and that it's caused her to react this way. I suggest you have her see someone about it." Martha explained the medications that were prescribed to Scully then asked, "Do you have any questions?"

"No, I want to see her." Mulder stood up waiting for Martha to show him the way. Skinner followed them through the corridors, but let Mulder enter her room alone. Scully was lying on her side with her back to the door. She was covered with blankets and he could see some tubes running from underneath hooked up to various machines. "Scully?"

She didn't move. She didn't acknowledge his existence. _Is she asleep? _ He wondered. He quietly moved to the other side to face her. Her eyes were closed. He sat in the chair next to her bed and gently, Mulder took one of her hands and held it in his larger one. "I'm so sorry this happened! I should have been able to protect you. It's all my fault!" He laid his head onto the edge of her bed and cried again.


	7. Chapter 7

"_You move one inch or make any sound I'll shoot you both!"_ _A strange man stood in front of Mulder pointing a gun inches away from Scully's face. Instinctively, Mulder sprung at him. At the same time the man pulled the trigger._

_ "You son of a…"_

BANG!

Mulder's head shot up nearly knocking him out of the chair he was in. He found himself next to Scully who was still in her hospital bed.

"I'm sorry, Agent Mulder, did I wake you?" Skinner had just walked through the door. "I didn't mean to let the door slam."

_It was just a dream,_ he thought to himself. _No, it was a nightmare. Something else happened that night._ "I…I…was…" Mulder didn't finish his sentence.

Martha entered the room behind Skinner. "Can I speak to the both of you?" The two men walked to the other side of the room to stand by her. "The doctor has signed her discharge papers, but we can wait until she is awake and ready to go home. We've sent the rape kit results over to your lab. We all hope you catch the maniac who did this. Have you made arrangements for someone to stay with her?"

"I can," Mulder said.

"Weren't you with her tonight? I don't think that would be a wise decision."

_What makes you the expert_, he thought.

"I agree with you, ma'am," Skinner said. "Maybe we should call her mother."

"NO!"

They turned to look in the direction of the voice. Scully sat up quickly, "I don't want her to know. I don't want anybody to know!" They were the first words she had spoken since she laid down next to Mulder on his couch. That was nearly 8 hours ago.

Mulder dashed to her side. He tried taking her hand, but she winced and snatched it from his reach. "Scully, please forgive me." Mulder's eyes watered up awaiting a reaction indicating she did.

"I want to go home," was all she said. She laid back down facing away from Mulder, once again.

Mulder couldn't hold the tears back. Skinner went over to Mulder, placed his arms around his shoulders, and led him away from Scully.

Martha led them outside. "It's common for women to be afraid of any men around her after an ordeal like this. Give her some time." Turning to Mulder she said, "I suggest you seek some help as well." Martha returned to the nurses' station leaving them alone in the large hall. It was barely dawn and most of the patients were asleep so the staff kept themselves busy in paperwork.

"Mulder, we've pulled in another profiler to handle this case. You are too involved in it. He's given us some insights on the men who broke into your apartment. He says that they're normally petty thieves and have never come across someone being home during one of their invasions. He also said, the skinny man was the conspirator and got a rush out of his new surroundings. We're hoping this guy is a previous offender whose information is in our database. Maybe that rape kit will help us find him. Now, I'm sending you home. The cops were done a few hours ago and said you were free to return. Come to think of it, I recommend you go to a hotel. You need some rest."

"Sir, I don't want to leave Scully."

"I understand, but the best thing for both of you is to rest. I'm sending Scully home with a female agent who will take excellent care of her.

Scully's apartment. One hour later.

"Agent Scully, would you like something to eat? Or maybe a bath?" The woman who drove her home was slightly older than Scully. She was taller, too, but looked to be pretty athletic. Birch was her name.

_Maybe she's into a lot of martial arts or something,_ she thought. "A bath would be nice, thank you." Scully sat on the edge of her bed starting to take off the clothes she had worn the night before. She had taken some time to decide what to wear for her "not too fancy" dinner. She chose a fitted purple t-shirt and her favorite pair of jeans. She didn't get to wear those very often and she suddenly had the urge to throw them in the fireplace.

Birch came out of the bathroom after running a bath for Scully. "I'll just be in the other room if you need anything."

Scully tried to smile her thanks, but only managed a slight nod. She walked into her bathroom and looked into the mirror. What she saw horrified her. Her eyes were swollen and red, a combination of no sleep and hours of crying. Her hair was messy and could use a good wash. She looked down to her hands that had red rings around them from the tie. Suddenly she saw herself kneeling on the floor of Mulder's apartment with a man pointing a gun at her and another tying her hands. "NO!" she cried out!

"Scully are you ok in there?" Birch called to her through the bathroom door.

"Yeah, I'm ok," she said shaking. Scully grasped the counter for support. She would have cried if there were any tears left. Slowly, she made her way to the tub and climbed in. She turned to this therapy after difficult cases or stressful days with Mulder. Now she turned to it for a different reason. She needed to rid her body of the filthiness she felt. It consumed her like a rash all over her body. She reached for her loufa, squeezed some soap onto it, and began scouring her body. No matter how hard she scrubbed she felt no liberation through her actions.

After some time she heard a quiet knock on the bathroom door. Birch had been listening from the living room. Until now she'd heard the sounds of water sloshing about and felt Scully was ok. It had gotten quiet and she decided to check on the unfortunate woman. "Agent Scully, are you alright?"

"Yes," she replied quietly. "I'm just drying off. I'll be out in a minute."

"Ok, I've made you some breakfast. You should eat something." Birch returned to the kitchen to prepare a plate of pancakes, eggs, and sausage. She had glasses of orange juice and milk. She'd decided against coffee, hoping Scully would sleep after eating.

Scully came in wearing pajamas and fuzzy slippers. Birch saw her examine to the front door. "Don't worry Scully, you're safe here." Scully sat at the table and glared at the food before her. It had been about 12 hours since she last ate. She knew it was time for her to eat, but her stomach didn't agree. She took a few sips of the orange juice and one or two bites of the eggs, but mostly pushed the food around.

When she finished eating she agreed with Birch about some sleep. Scully wanted nothing more than to forget about the events of last night. She took two of the sleeping pills that had been prescribed to her and climbed into bed. She was thankful they were working immediately.

Birch was reading a book on Scully's couch when she heard a gentle knock on the door. She reached for her pistol and peered through the peep hole. It was Mulder. Sighing, she unlatched the chain, flipped the lock back and opened the front door. "Agent Mulder, why are you here?" her tone was quiet in a worrisome way. She knew he had been ordered to get some rest, too.

He was holding a beautiful bouquet of wild flowers. "I need to see her. I need to know she's safe."

Birch allowed him through the door and put her finger to her lips to tell him to keep quiet. Whispering she said, "She is safe. Agent Scully went to sleep about an hour and a half ago. She needs to be left alone to rest which is something you need to be doing, as well."

"I couldn't," he whispered back. "I couldn't do anything but think about her. I tried, but I have to know she's ok."

She sighed again, "Fine, but you need to make it quick, keep it quiet, and don't wake her! Why don't you go find a vase for those flowers and take them to her room?"

He obeyed and slipped through the bedroom door. He'd left it open partially and Birch heard him from her place on the couch. "I'm sorry Scully! Please, please forgive me for not protecting you! I love you, and I always will. I'll be here when you're ready." He came back into the living room.

"Thank you for letting me see her," he said to Birch. Then he left.


	8. Chapter 8

My Dearest Scully,

Words cannot express how deeply sorry I am for what you had to suffer! I don't know if you can ever forgive me for allowing this to happen to you, but please, Scully, believe me when I tell you I'm sorry.

The things we said to each other last night repeat over and over in my mind. I feel the same as I did last night. I'm in love with you. I will do everything I can to show you that. I understand that you don't want to speak to me or have me around, but its killing me to be apart from you. I don't know what you're going through, but I was there. I was with you, Scully. I never wanted to leave you. I wish I could take away all of your pain! I should be the one to suffer. It was all my fault.

If you never want to see me again I'll understand. Just know that I will never stop loving you. You are my best friend. You've been the only one who has stood by me throughout these last five years. I've dragged you through hell, but you still stayed with me. You are the only reason I get up every day. You make me the happiest man in the world just because you are by my side. I don't know what I'd do without you. Please, Scully, if you meant what you said to me last night and if you still mean it, don't shut me out. Let me help you get through this. I know we can do it together.

I love you.

Mulder


	9. Chapter 9

When Scully woke up she was surprised to see a vase with beautiful flowers on the night stand. Next to it was an envelope with _Scully_ written on it. She found it contained a handwritten note from Mulder. She must have read it a dozen times and each time she did she felt different emotions swell within her. The first few times she felt fear because of the reminder it gave of last night, but as she continued her fears subsided and she believed his words. She collapsed on her bed clutching a pillow and began to cry once again. But these tears were tears of love and happiness. She knew Mulder loved her and that he would be the only one who could help her overcome this. Most of all she knew she loved him. Strangely, though, the thought of him in her presence made her uneasy. _I'm not ready to see him,_ she thought. _Maybe I could call him, though._ She looked at the clock. It was nearly 5pm. She'd been asleep for almost 8 hours. She didn't know where her cell phone was which meant she'd have to pull his number from the back of her memory and use her house phone. It took her a couple of tries, but she finally got it.

"Mulder," he said upon answering his phone. He knew who it was even without the caller ID. When there was no reply he became nervous. "Scully? Are you alright?"

She felt the urgency in his tone and quickly responded, "Yes, Mulder. I'm ok. I'm sorry I alarmed you. I just needed a moment to…think, I guess. I just read the letter you left. Thank you for the flowers, too. I think they're beautiful." She wasn't sure she wanted to discuss the contents of the letter yet, so she changed the subject to the flowers.

"Can I come see you?"

"No, Mulder."

Her answer nearly broke his heart. Under normal circumstances he would have ignored this retort and rushed over anyway. "Oh." He thought she was about to tell him she never wanted to see him again.

"Mulder, it's just that…I…I don't think I'm ready, yet. I need some time."

"I understand. I'll be here when you need me."

"That means a lot to me," she said.

Mulder could feel his heart coming back together at those words. "How are you feeling?"

"A little better. I slept for a long time. They prescribed me some pretty good pills."

"I got a few myself. I only took one, though. I didn't want to be asleep in case you called."

She smiled at the way he was acting. Kind of like a little puppy. "I'd better go," she finally said.

"Ok," he softly replied. He needed to test something, though. "Scully?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

A long minute passed in silence. "I love you, too, Mulder." She hung up the phone, still wondering why they never said goodbye to each other.

It took her two more days to prepare herself to see Mulder. Even with the aid of the sleeping pills she had trouble sleeping through the night. After talking to Mulder on the phone she had 2 nightmares. The first one was as though she was reliving that night. The second one frightened her more. She dreamed he had come back for her. Scully had completely forgotten that they still hadn't caught the men who held them and tortured her until that dream. Fearful of her dreams, she couldn't seem to relax enough to even fall asleep. Since she was awake she decided to call Mulder. "Hey."

"Hey, back. You ok?"

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep. I think I finally know how you've felt all these years. How have you been able to function like this?" She sat at the top of her bed resting her back against the headboard. Her feet were stretched out in front of her.

"I don't know. It just seemed to happen for me. I worked through it. It got a lot better after I met you, though." Mulder blushed.

Scully smiled. She paused and then, "Mulder?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you do something for me?"

"Scully, I'd do anything for you."

"Will you bring me some breakfast in the morning? Birch has been cooking and, bless her heart, it's awful!" For the first time in days Scully laughed.

Mulder laughed too. "Oh, I see. You don't actually want to see me, you just want some edible food! They have delivery services, you know."

"Well, no, that's not it." Scully got a little more serious. "I want to see you. I know it's taken me a long time, but I miss you."

"I miss you, too. I loved hearing your laugh just now. It was music to my ears!"

"Mulder, you're so cheesy!"

"Well, it's true! I miss everything about you! The scent of your hair, your beautiful blue eyes, and your lips! I really miss your lips!" It had just dawned on Mulder that maybe Scully wouldn't want to continue what they had finally started just a few days ago. "I'm sorry, Scully. I didn't mean to…I didn't know if…what…?" He grunted in frustration. "I want to be with you more than anything, but if you want us to go back to what we were before, I'll understand." With a heavy heart Mulder braced himself to hear Scully tell him that it would be best for them to just be partners.

Scully weighed her options. It would be very difficult if she and Mulder pretended to act as though they hadn't just revealed their feelings to each other. At the same time she was very uncertain she could be close to him like that. "Mulder, it will take me a long time to heal from this." She started crying. "But I don't want to pretend anymore. If you can be patient with me, I'm sure one day I'll be ready. I do love you. Even now when I think of my future you are right there beside me! You are my future, Mulder.

"Scully, I love you, too. I would wait forever if that's what it took."

"Thank you, Mulder."

"Now, do you think you can get some sleep? I know it sounds bad, but I think you've made me feel so good that I could sleep all night. You're a pretty good drug."

"I think I know what you mean." With that, the two said good night and got off the phone. Scully was able to have a good night's sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

EPILOGUE

Authorities were able to find a dried pool of sweat in the stairwell. Through DNA testing they determined it had been Jim Spritzer's. Jim was previously wanted for breaking and entering, but jumped bail. Once he was found he easily gave up his partner for a lighter sentence. Steve Mitchell was caught and convicted of breaking into a home residence, petty theft, weapons theft, rape, and assaulting federal officers. Initially he was sentenced to 30 years without parole, but the judge threw another 10 on the pile.

Scully and Mulder attended therapy sessions together and separately. Two weeks after their attack Mulder returned to work. Scully followed after another week. They would spend time with each other every day, but Scully still found it difficult to be in Mulder's apartment. On a mild October evening they shared a wonderful night walking around DC hand in hand.

The End

A/N That's it! I hope ya'll liked it!


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